This invention relates to improved waste receptacles and, more particularly, to receptacles with foot pedals for selective extension from the receptacle base to aid in flexible trash bag removal, and the like.
Waste receptacles that support flexible trash bags are popular and useful items for home and for commercial use. Ordinarily, a waste receptacle holds a flexible trash bag in an upright position with the unsealed end of the bag uppermost and open within the receptacle. Waste, trash and the like are deposited in the open bag. When it becomes necessary or desirable to remove the flexible bag for disposal, it is customary to grasp the waste receptacle with one hand and gather together with the other hand the open end of the flexible bag. The flexible bag, so held, is then withdrawn from the waste receptacle for disposal with its contents.
The foregoing is the ideal situation that all too frequently does not occur. Thus, when the flexible bag is too full, drawing the open end together with one hand often leads to immersing at least a part of the hand in the collected waste and spilling some of the waste from the flexible bag on the waste receptacle and surrounding surfaces. Given, moreover, the basic instability of the usual waste receptacle, held with one hand and, at the same time, grappling with the open end of the flexible bag with the other hand while bending over the receptacle at an awkward body angle frequently results in tipping the entire assembly waste and all-onto the floor.
To overcome these problems foot pads molded into the base of the receptacle have been proposed. These foot pads protrude out from the waste receptacle base in the expectation that by stepping on the pads, the waste receptacle is stabilized, freeing both hands to be used to gather the open top of the flexible bag and withdraw the bag from the receptacle.
This proposal, however, fails to satisfy practical commercial requirements. Illustratively, the fixed, protruding foot pads prevent these trash receptacles from being loaded or telescoped into stacks for efficient shipping, storage and shelving. Each one of these waste receptacles must be shipped, warehoused and displayed individually, which is a most unsatisfactory commercial situation.
Another proposal suggests mounting a spring biased pedal in a recess formed in a side of the waste receptacle and near the receptacle's base. A foot can press the pedal down against the supporting floor to enable both hands to withdraw the flexible bag from the waste receptacle. This proposal, apart from difficulty and expense in manufacture also exhibits an unsatisfactory characteristic. Thus, as the flexible bag is withdrawn from the waste receptacle, the essentially unrestrained waste receptacle, responding to the force of the biasing spring, may tip over toward the pedal, to result in spilled waste.
Consequently, there is a need for an inexpensive and stable waste receptacle that can free the user to apply both hands to withdraw the flexible bag from the receptacle when removing trash. The waste receptacle also must satisfy commercial needs with respect to economical shipping, warehousing and display.